Archive for the 'Manaus' Category

If you have been following my posts regarding my trip to Brasil, then you have already stepped into the world of Casa 32.  So, I am sure you can understand then why I chose to remain there for my last day in Rio.  I could have gone to one of the numerous glorious beaches or shopped for some Havaianas or climbed Sugar Loaf Mountain, but instead I grabbed my book, sunnies, and found the perfect spot by the pool.

This was my view for the day.

Several hours into my sunbathing session, the owner, Lucio, brought me a delicious fresh coconut drink and turned on some Samba music.   I seriously felt like I was in heaven!  He even made sure to send his son-in-law over every hour or so to clean the pool.   Beside the pool was a sauna and when I needed a break from the sun I would take turns visiting it and the al fresco shower.

Surrounding Casa 32 is the remnants of a rain forest that truly makes you feel like you are in the middle of the Amazon and not in a major metropolitan city.  I loved the feeling of taking a vacation inside of a vacation!  It was an incredible backdrop for me to reflect on my time in a city that I had fallen head-over-heels in love with in only a few days time.  I had been warned of Rio’s powerful seduction, however I had no idea it would be this magical of an experience!  It is of no wonder to me now why Brasilians call it Cidade Maravilhosa, or Marvelous City.

Sadly, my flight to Manaus was approaching and I needed to finish packing.  Lucio told me to make sure that I saved some time in order to say a proper goodbye.  When I went searching for him a little later, I found him and his closest relatives by the pool in the midst of a cookout.  I did not want to interrupt their party, but as soon as Lucio saw me he got very excited.  The cookout had been  arranged for me as a farewell celebration and I was the guest-of-honor!  I was really, really touched.

Before I got inside the taxi that was to take me to the airport, Lucio, his daughter, Joana, and I posed for a picture in front of the main door to Casa 32.  I refused to say “goodbye” to them, since I knew with all certainty that I would be returning one day soon.  What I did not know, was just how soon, but you will have to stay tuned for a couple of more posts to uncover that story.

My trip to Brasil began to materialize last June when I discovered that USAirways was starting a new direct route from Charlotte (my hometown) to Rio de Janeiro the following December.  I had 100,000 points with the airline and had been waiting for the right opportunity to use them.  Plus, New Year’s is my favorite holiday and I made a pact with myself several years ago, after a particularly boring one, that from then on I would celebrate it some place fabulous.  The previous 3 countries that I was in were Spain, Australia, and Peru, thus Brasil seemed like the logical next country to go to!

Once the tickets were booked, I began planning how I would spend my precious 10 days there.  I knew that I would definitely be in Rio on the 31^st, but I wanted to see other places besides Rio.  I spent countless hours perusing websites and books related to Brasil, which in the end helped me become more familiar with the country, however they confused me even more on where to go, as every place looked like Paradise.

Finally, I came across a website that had travel agents who were able to put together specialized trips for no extra cost.  I emailed them stating that I wanted to scuba dive, spend New Year’s in Rio, and experience the Amazon…and that I only had 10 days to do all of this.  I thought they would say that it was impossible, although within 24 hours they responded that this would in fact be possible and within 1 week the entire trip was planned (and for an awesome price!).  One thing that should be noted is that if you intend to take a lot of domestic flights within Brasil you should consider buying the Brasil Airpass, which starts at 4 domestic flights for $500 and goes all the way up to 9 domestic flights for $1100.  I decided to purchase the 4-flight package, as it would save me a lot of money.

My itinerary was now: December 28-30 Porto de Galinhas , December 30-January 3 Rio, and January 3-6 the Amazon.

The cities that I would be flying to on my trip were: Recife, Rio, and Manaus.

Once my trip was completely booked, I decided to contact some people from Couchsurfing to see if they would like to meet up.  To my absolute delight I discovered that while I would be there the 1^st ever Couchsurfing Pan-American event would be held.  There would be around 600 Couchsurfer’s from around the world in Rio and daily events for all of us to attend.  Knowing this helped my slight anxiety of traveling alone.  This was to be my 1^st solo-trip in a country where I did not speak the language.  I had previously traveled solo in China, Argentina, and Australia.  Those trips sincerely changed my life and instinctively I knew this trip would to.

While I love nothing more than to be surrounded by friends when I am traveling, I do crave my solitude as well.  I truly believe that nothing teaches us more about ourselves than solo-traveling.  It pushes us in ways that are unimaginable and we learn things about ourselves that we never knew.  Traveling alone is its own little niche of touching into a culture and most times you will attract more interactions amongst the locals that way.  Besides you are never really alone; there will always be people around you.  Do not get me wrong, traveling with someone, especially your partner, has its benefits as well.  Sharing those once-in-a-lifetime moments with another person is priceless.  However, I think it is necessary for the growth of the soul to every once in a while pack your bags and go on a journey by yourself.  And this is exactly what my trip to Brasil was all about!